Thanks to you and youtube, I have a new found appreciation for pronouns!

Forgot to also comment that I found your interpretation helpful, John Thacker. I don't know whether your interpretation is as Rob intended or not, but it does make sense and it wasn't how I was thinking about Tram's comments before.

Or Ansom might have pressed ahead and lost the battle in the tunnels. Then he could have retreated in peace.

Either way, gobwin knob shouldn't have gotten Ansom, or the pliers. They would probably just be contending with annoying numbers of dwagons instead at this point.

Before this thread spends too much more time discussing what things in book 1 Charlie could be referring to, let's take a moment and think about the phrase "this battle." Unless "this battle" is still somehow "The Battle for Gobwin Knob..."

Or Ansom might have pressed ahead and lost the battle in the tunnels. Then he could have retreated in peace.

Either way, gobwin knob shouldn't have gotten Ansom, or the pliers. They would probably just be contending with annoying numbers of dwagons instead at this point.

Before this thread spends too much more time discussing what things in book 1 Charlie could be referring to, let's take a moment and think about the phrase "this battle." Unless "this battle" is still somehow "The Battle for Gobwin Knob..."

The Battle against Potato Parson. Started when that summoning spell went off.

Further, Charlie may have drawn all of those visuals from Parson's mind during that discussion. The Joker image is classic Joker (Killing Joke version, I think, NOT Heath Ledger's imperfect variant. Parson left Erfworld prior to Heath's version being released.

It's absolutely Heath Ledger's version. There's never been a comic version of the Joker depicting him with scars by his mouth. That was unique to The Dark Knight. But it should be noted that the line he's quoting is from Tim Burton's '89 Batman film, not TDK. That's also the puzzle link between The Joker and "Beetlejuice" (who's name is spelled "Betelgeuse" in the film). Betelgeuse is the name of a star, which links him to Khan. Khan is a tyrant who was trapped in suspended animation, which links him to General Zod who was a tyrant trapped in suspended animation. General Zod connects to Agent Smith...for a few possible reasons but it's not entirely clear (Neo is like superman? Superman 2 and the Matrix were both filmed by two directors?). Agent Smith connects to Dr. Gero because they're both robots/cybernetic/whatever. Dr. Gero connects with Dr. Doom because "Dr". Doom connects with Palpatine because they're both disfigured rulers who wear hoods.

No, I completely disagree with this being Heath. It is further from Heath than any other version (specifically the lips), which doesn't surprise. Too close to an actor's portrayal might get into infringement, since it is not being used as satire (the typical "out" for copyright violations of this sort... since Charlie is emulating the Joker with no mocking intent, it is darned hard to cite satirical purposes).

Further, Charlie may have drawn all of those visuals from Parson's mind during that discussion. The Joker image is classic Joker (Killing Joke version, I think, NOT Heath Ledger's imperfect variant. Parson left Erfworld prior to Heath's version being released.

It's absolutely Heath Ledger's version. There's never been a comic version of the Joker depicting him with scars by his mouth. That was unique to The Dark Knight. But it should be noted that the line he's quoting is from Tim Burton's '89 Batman film, not TDK. That's also the puzzle link between The Joker and "Beetlejuice" (who's name is spelled "Betelgeuse" in the film). Betelgeuse is the name of a star, which links him to Khan. Khan is a tyrant who was trapped in suspended animation, which links him to General Zod who was a tyrant trapped in suspended animation. General Zod connects to Agent Smith...for a few possible reasons but it's not entirely clear (Neo is like superman? Superman 2 and the Matrix were both filmed by two directors?). Agent Smith connects to Dr. Gero because they're both robots/cybernetic/whatever. Dr. Gero connects with Dr. Doom because "Dr". Doom connects with Palpatine because they're both disfigured rulers who wear hoods.

No, I completely disagree with this being Heath. It is further from Heath than any other version (specifically the lips), which doesn't surprise. Too close to an actor's portrayal might get into infringement, since it is not being used as satire (the typical "out" for copyright violations of this sort... since Charlie is emulating the Joker with no mocking intent, it is darned hard to cite satirical purposes).

I'd look to the hair. Charlie does not have super short hair, only Heath does that in the images you cite. Not to mention the ominous feel fits it well.

Edit: Not to mention the heavy black eye shadow.

Edit: Not to mention he's wearing a tie rather than a bowtie, and his clothing is less vibrant and bright.

And the reasoning I gave there continues to be plausible for me three years on - Charlie isn't trying to win this game, merely survive, to ensure his indefinitely extended existence. But his strategy is not like FAQ's, he's involved in the game constantly, ensuring it continues. And if the ultimate goal is to bring the game to an end, then he is the Big Bad, because he is the single biggest factor in preventing the game from ending.

In which case he is doing the work of the Titans, who created Erf as a place of constant warfare. He is seeking to maintain the status quo not so much that he profits from it as he is, when you get down to it, the ultimate High Priest of the Titans. More than anyone else, he is one with his world, and doubtless unique in that unlike almost every other Side Leader, Royal or Barbarian, he doesn't want to conquer the world. There are a few anomalies like Banhammer, but virtually every other side in existence would, given the resources and opportunity, conquer all of Erf. Charlie simply wants to ensure that the Titan's dance never ends, and that he is always dancing.

Parson threatens to stop the music, threatens to disrupt the dance, and Charlie hates him with a religious fervor for that.

Yes, yes. Because a most "pristine lipstick-like mouth" has huge significance.

It really could when you're trying to identify which character something is. In this case the shadows make it moot. If you were REALLY trying to capture ledger's joker he would look like, well like he didn't know how to apply lipstick.

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